by Brianna Crandall — June 1, 2015—Of interest to facilities owners and managers contemplating a construction project for their facilities, the National Institute of Building Sciences Off-Site Construction Council (OSCC) conducted a survey in the fall of 2014 to gain an understanding of how the U.S. construction sector is using off-site construction techniques and technologies. The report compiling the results of that industry survey is now available for download.
A total of 312 participants from around the country responded to the survey. The respondents came from across the building industry, representing the diversity of stakeholders involved in the decision making and implementation of off-site construction. They included architects, engineers, contractors and construction managers, subcontractors and owners/developers.
Key findings
Key findings from the report include:
- Most respondents (93%) indicated they had utilized off-site fabricated components to some degree over the past 12 months, while 83% expected to utilize off-site construction more often or the same amount in the next 12 months.
- The participants (who could select multiple categories) are using off-site elements for commercial construction, industrial, healthcare, education, multi-family and hospitality (and, though the survey was not intended to address it, single-family residential construction).
- More than 73% of respondents identified a reduction to the overall project schedule in projects utilizing off-site construction. When asked about the life-cycle benefits of off-site techniques, comments from respondents highlighted schedule reductions, overall cost benefits, reduced defects and increased quality.
- Participants experienced improved project stakeholder collaboration when employing off-site methods. According to 78% of respondents, off-site construction requires moderately higher or significantly higher levels of stakeholder engagement. However, that increased integration and collaboration throughout the delivery process can result in higher quality and reduced changes throughout construction.
- Respondents stated that the most significant barrier to off-site construction is the design and construction culture. Comments indicate that late design changes, lack of collaboration, and an adversarial climate for project delivery leads to difficulties in realizing the benefits of off-site construction.
The OSCC is using the results from the survey, along with case studies from effective projects, to inform development of an Off-Site Construction Implementation Guide. The Council also plans to conduct additional surveys, including one to be issued in the near future that will look into the kinds of digital tools the industry is using to assist implementation of off-site construction.
The Report of the Results of the 2014 Off-Site Construction Industry Survey is available from the NIBS Web site, as are other resources related to off-site construction.
